GreatMan Podcast

To paraphrase the sociologist Camille Paglia, a woman simply is, but a man must become. Masculinity is risky and elusive. It must be called out by other men. In this episode, Stephen unpacks the “why” behind his belief in the need for quality boys’ schools. We need more resources for a better understanding of boys and what they require in terms of education, mentorship, and growth.

Clothes don’t make the man, but they can reveal the man. Stephen shares a recent experience attending a reception for a former state governor. While the women were wisely and appropriately dressed, many of the men were dressed like five-year-olds with white tennis shoes, jeans, and untucked plaid short-sleeved shirts. While this outfit might be fine for a backyard barbecue with your buddies, it doesn’t communicate the honor and respect such an event demands. Clothes communicate. Know how to[read more]

We tend to live in a bubble that is free from critical input. This is dangerous. We ought to have constant, loving, constructive feedback in a culture of noble men. In this episode, Stephen teaches how to ask the tough questions that will help you see yourself as you are. Prepare yourself to ask bold questions this summer, and may you be a greater man for it.

Jesus and John Wayne is a book by Kristin Kobes Du Mez that Stephen disagrees with. But he wants you to read it. Tune into this podcast to find out what Professor Du Mez gets right about the modern Christian men’s movement… and what she gets completely wrong. In this episode, Stephen critiques both the book’s invalid assumptions and straw man arguments while also validating and appreciating some of the questions and challenges the author poses to those of[read more]

There is stunning scientific and anecdotal evidence that men experience a dramatic change in their souls and bodies when regularly engaging in an activity that is hard, challenging, or a little bit dangerous. Most of you listening to this podcast live relatively luxurious, Western lives. When you are constantly enveloped in luxury, you become dull, shaped by domesticity. Yet men are made to conquer. In this episode, Stephen teaches you how to challenge yourself for at least a few[read more]

Growing up, boys need men other than their fathers to speak into their lives. As a teenager raised on military bases, Stephen was on the receiving end of this relationship often. Officers and other men on base would help guide and support Stephen and other soldiers’ sons. Men, in the same way that your band of brothers has eyes on you, it’s important that you ensure men of integrity have eyes on your sons, too. We need the “other.”

“Basically, we found that the persistence of a person’s brain in holding on to a negative stimulus is what predicts more negative and less positive daily emotional experiences,” report psychologists at the University of Miami in a recent study. “That in turn predicts how well they think they’re doing in their life.” A GreatMan has a transcendent attitude toward life. He rises above the small things that happen. A bighearted manly soul – the happy warrior we’re all called[read more]

Stephen was recently asked, “What are the five essential things a young man under 20 should know?” As we head into the summer, with the generations mixing and free time to spare, think about how you can work these five concepts into the life of a young man (especially in the 12-14 age range). Stephen illustrates concepts like power, duty, and wildness in ways that can transform the life and direction of a young male.

This episode originally aired November 26,[read more]

The average man can dominate the average woman. If men are not taught the principled use of power, they will become barbarians: murderers, rapists, and marauders. Gentleman, we must teach our sons how to wield power. We must teach them to stand guard and to protect women. Let’s make teaching about the principled use of power a cornerstone of what we do. Otherwise, we unleash a generation of barbarians in our society.

Whatever kind of man your father was (or wasn’t), it’s important that you are rightly aligned with him. In fact, it’s one of the great arts of noble manhood. Seek out help from God and other men as you do this. To get started, Stephen strongly encourages watching this performance of the song “Fall on Me” by Andrea Bocelli with his son Matteo. Get in a quiet place, and let this song bring up your relationship with your father.[read more]

Stephen shares his passion for the honor, rituals, and bonds between men. From the haka dance of the Maori people to Viking burials to the Jewish saying of “running Masada,” tune in for a discussion of rituals across cultures and generations. How are you building rituals with your band of brothers? How are you welcoming men into manhood? Start thinking in terms of liturgies and symbolism. Weave this powerful force into your life.

There’s hardly any characteristic more admirable or powerful in the life of a man than humility. It’s not weakness. Humility is the self-awareness that you are a flawed and incomplete human being. It causes you to recognize what you don’t have and what others have that you need. Humility allows you to approach life with an openness, and openness produces growth. Listen to this podcast, embrace humility, and embrace the truth about yourself.